Self-propelled torsional motor-driven toy

ABSTRACT

A simulated vehicle has an axle supported by a torsional energy storing elastic strip. A string is wrapped about the axle and unwinds when pulled upwardly to thereby twist the strip. Release of the string allows the wound strip to drive the toy over a surface while rewinding the string. A flaring hollow guide floats on the axle. The apex of the guide extends upwardly in the vehicle and the string is threaded through an opening at this apex. The guide prevents the rewinding string from riding on and over the wheels at the ends of the axle.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Albert B. Slubbmann 2,604,727 7/1952Swenson 46/206 X [21] A l N gz g g FOREIGN PATENTS PP v Ffled Nov.6,1969 676,501 12/1963 Canada 46/206 [45] Patented June 8, 1971 PrimaryExaminerLouis G. Mancene [73] Assignee Kohner Bros., Inc. AssistantExaminer-Robert F. Cutting East Paterson, NJ. Attorney-Kirschstein,Kirschstein, Ottinger and Frank [54] SELF-PROPELLED TORSIONALMOTOR-DRIVEN TOY 14 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

ABSTRACT: A simulated vehicle has. an axle supported by a U.S. t i l gyt i g l ti t i g i pp d b t [5 I] f- Cl A63! 29/20 the axle and unwindswhen pulled upwardly to thereby twist [50] Fleld of Search 46/97, 101, hStrip Release of the string allows the wound Strip to drive 206 the toyover a surface while rewinding the string. A flaring hollow guide floatson the axle. The apex of the guide extends up- [56] References cuedwardly in the vehicle and the string is threaded through an UNITEDSTATES PATENTS opening at this apex. The guide prevents the rewindingstring 2,078,767 4/1937 Marx 46/206 X from riding on and over the wheelsat tlhe ends of the axle.

PATENTED JUN 8 I97! INVENTOR ALBERT B. STUBBMANN BY ATTORNEYS M m MSlELlF-FROPELLED TORSIONAL MOTOR-DRIVEN TOY BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Torsional string wound motor toys 2.Description of the Prior Art Children have always been delighted withanimated toys, especially those which simulate the motion of a vehicleor an animal. Of course, children are also known to have short-livedinterest in toys and will often discard a toy after using it but a fewtimes.

Common animated wheeled pull toys have the drawback that small childrenprefer self-animating toys which need not be manually pulled about.Furthermore, children tire of dragging a toy behind them because the toyis out of their sight. As a consequence, most animated pull-string toysinclude some type of noisemaker, e.g. a bell. Even with audibleanimation, pull toys left much to be desired.

As a result, many of the ambulatory or moving toys includedsophisticated self-propulsion mechanisms. These toys are, however,disadvantageous due to the fact that their animation mechanisms arecostly, complicated and easily broken. Furthermore, the expense involvedin purchasing such toys is not warranted by the toys short-livedutility.

Among the past solutions to the problem of creating an inexpensive,easily replaceable, self-propelled toy which would attract and maintainthe child's interest for a substantial period of time, yet which is of acost easily within a family budget, and which cost is such thatreplacement of the toy with a similarly driven toy of a differentcharacter would not be extravagant, was an elastic motor-drivenstring-wound toy which generally included a torsional energy storingdevice such as a spring or elastic strip. (A typical such toy is shownin US. Letters Pat. No. 368,499). Such motors generally included an axlewhich was mounted within the toy and intcrconnected to the body of thetoy by a strip. The motor was energized by winding the axle relative tothe toy body. This was usually performed with the aid of an actuatingstring which was initially wrapped about the axle. When the string waspulled from the axle, the axle turned, twisting the initially relaxedelastic strip. Upon release of the actuating string, the elastic stripdissipated its stored energy by rotating the axle causing the toy tomove forward while at the same time winding the string back about theaxle.

Although this propulsion mechanism provided an animated toy at arelatively low cost, the propulsion system suffered from an inherent andlong-suffered disadvantage, to wit: the actuating string would rewindabout the axle in a haphazard manner, and often extend beyond the limitsof the axle to ride over the wheels and entangle in the torsional energystoring device. This prevented withdrawal of the string for a subsequent actuation.

Such disadvantage greatly detracted from widespread acceptance of thesetoys. Prior string-rewinding guide mechanisms attempted to rectify theproblem but to no avail because during the rewinding of the motor, thestring usually was not held so that it was lax, allowing incursions overthe wheels with the aforementioned consequent drawback.

A further disadvantage encountered with some prior toys of the characterdescribed was that it was often difficult to interconnect the elasticstrip between the axle and the'body of the toy, and thus the elasticstrip would break or become entangled during the assembly process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention toprovide a self propelled toy of the character described which is soconstructed that it is not subject to any of the foregoingdisadvantages.

More specifically it is an object ofthe invention to provide aself-propelled toy of the character described which is simple and ruggedin construction and more efficient in operation, yet can be easilyfabricated by mass production methods at a cost appreciably lower thanprior devices designed to serve similar functions.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide aself-propelled toy of the character described wherein a floating guidemember is mounted on the axle to center the rewound portions of theactuating string on the axle and prevent the string from overriding thedriving wheels.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a toy of thecharacter described wherein a floating guide member rotatably engagesthe axle with a portion of the member projecting into the toy body andengaging the toy body to limit movement of the member along the axle.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy of thecharacter described wherein a split axle is utilized with the elasticstrip extending axially along and captively engaged by the split axlesections.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide atwo-piece conically shaped floating axle guide member such as mentionedabove, such segmenting permitting an easy assembly of the toy.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a floatingaxle guide member constructed of two shell halves, each of whichincludes alignment projections to facilitate assembly.

Other objects of the invention in part will be obvious and in part willbe pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly constitutes the features of construction,combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will beexemplified in the elastic strip torsion-motordriven toy hereinafterdescribed, and of which the scope of application will be indicated inthe appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings in whichis shown one of the various possible embodiments of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a torsion-motor-driven string-actuatedtoy constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention, said toybeing in the shape of an open topped vehicle with a mouse characterseated therein;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through said toy, the same beingtaken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and illustratingportions of an axle-driving torsional motor, an actuating string and aguide which is mounted on the axle;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 ofFIG. 2 and illustrating the split axle along with the guide member whichis mounted on the axle; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view through the toy, the same beingtaken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and illustrating a sideof the guide member and a portion of the split axle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The self-propelledtorsionaI-motor-driven toy of the present invention includes astring-actuated torsion motor which corn prises a torsion energy storagedevice between the axle and the body of the toy with the axle reverselyrotating when the string is pulled and the torsional energy storagedevice dissipating its energy and turning the axle forwardly to propelthe toy over a supporting surface when the string is released. While thetoy is propelling itself, the pull string is rewound about the axle andthe rewound portions of the string are guided around the axle by afloating member which has spaced portions encircling the axle to preventthe rewinding string from drifting into and over the drive wheels. Themember extends into the body in a suitable relationship to engage thebody and prevent rotation of the member. Thus the floating guide memberensures availability ofthe string for future use.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral I0denotes a torsion-motor-driven string-actuated toy constructed inaccordance with and embodying the present invention. The toy includes ahollow body 12 and a hollow figurine 14 positioned atop the body. Thefigurine M includes an open bottom which is in registry with an openingin the upper surface of the body and is secured in the opening byconventional heat welds or adhesive. The composite toy will thus includea hollow base interior with an upwardly projecting hollow portion, i.e.the figurine. Both the body and figurine are preferably inexpensivelymolded of a thermoplastic synthetic resin. It should be observed thatthe external shape of the toy is not of importance, and the torsionalmotor of the present invention may be utilized with any hollow toyregardless of external configuration.

The weight of the toy should be such that the torsional motor canreadily propel the toy along a supporting surface and overcome staticfrictional resistance.

The toy vehicle shown includes the body 12 which is molded in theconfiguration of an open-topped roadster and includes front wheels 16which are molded in one piece with the body so that they do not rotate.Such wheels will provide a slight frictional drag, but due to the lightweight of the toy, especially in the hollow front portion, thefrictional resistance is insufficient to materially impede thetranslatory motion of the vehicle. Optionally, the front wheels may besuitably journaled for rotation on the body for lower frictionalresistance.

The use of front wheels is not essential and the body may merely includea single surface or point which abuts the toysupporting surface andpermits a sliding contact therewith when the toy is driven. Such singlepoint would be desirable if the toy body were ofa differentconfiguration e.g. a tricycle.

The toy includes a torsional driving motor 20, the details of which arebest illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The motor 20 includes a single thinelastic strip or several strips 22 which extend between two registeredopenings 24 at opposite sides of the body adjacent the lower edge andtowards the rear thereof. The elastic strip 22 may be formed from rubberbands, for instance, and serves as a rotational energy storage device totransmit a torque to the axle so as to propel the toy. The openings 24are peripherally surrounded by cylindrical bosses 26 through which theends of the elastic strip 22 are threaded. The free ends of the strip 22project beyond the bosses 26 and are clamped by overcaps 30 tightlyagainst the bosses 26. The caps 30 are preferably heat sealed to thebosses after the ends of the elastic strip are threaded through theopenings 24. The overcaps anchor the strip to the toy and preventrotation of the ends of the strip 22 during storage of torsional energywhen the actuating string unwinds from the axle.

The axle 32 through which the elastic strip 22 is threaded includes twosplit-cylindrical portions 34 and 36 each of which includes a hollowinterior and overlapping protuberances projecting into the same. Opposedprotuberances are slightly mutually offset to pinch segments of theelastic strip 22 between them so that when the axle 32 is turned thestrip will be twisted or untwisted.

The strip-engaging protuberances include two flanges 38 in the portion34 which project toward the opposite section beyond the axis of the axle32 and into the hollow interior of the section 36. Additionally, theaxle section 36 includes similarly projecting flanges 40 which extend upto the axis of the axle and are adjacent the flanges 38. The ends ofboth axle sections include perpendicular end walls having semicircularopenings through which the ends of the elastic strip 22 are threaded.

To assemble the axle on the elastic strip 22, one of the axle sections,34 for instance, is placed along the length of the strip 22 and thestrip 22 is stretched between the semicircular openings and across theflanges 38. Subsequently, the axle section 36 is aligned with thesection 34 and the strip 22. When the two sections are forced together,the strip 22 is tightly pinched between the adjacent flanges 38 and 40to hold the center of the strip 22 fast to the axle.

Mounted on the opposite ends of the axle are driving wheels 42 which arepreferably constructed of rubber or other material having a highcoefficient of friction with a supporting surface to provide desirablegripping characteristics for driving the toy. Each wheel 42 includes ahollow central bore which is designed to be tightly frictionally engagedover an end of the axle 32. When the wheels are so engaged, they holdthe axle sections 34 and 36 together. In fact, the wheels 42 areoptionally the only means for effectively securing the axle sectionstogether.

The axle sections 34, 36 include two protuberances 44 which serve aslimit stops to position the wheels 42 so that they are adjacent the endsof the axle 32.

As previously mentioned, the torsion motor 20 is adapted to be actuatedby a string 48 which in idle condition of the toy is coiled about acentral portion of the axle 32 and which, when drawn from the hollowbody of the toy, will cause the axle 32 to rotate, twisting the strip 22and increasing the torsional energy stored by the strip. This isaccomplished by pulling the string 48 vertically upwardly by engaging afinger ring 50 secured to the free end of the string. The other end ofthe string is threaded through an opening 52 in the head of the figurinel4 and is anchored to the axlev With the toy resting on a supportingsurface, the actuating string 48 is designed to be pulled verticallyupwardly. Since the toy 10 is relatively light in weight, there will beno translational movement ofthe toy when the axle turns; indeed theupward force lifts the toy at the axle and allows the wheels to turn outof engagement with the supporting surface.

Upon release of the actuating string 48, the stored torsional energy inthe elastic strip 22 will urge the axle 32 in a reverse clockwisedirection (as viewed in FlG. 2) and thus propel the toy along thesupporting surface.

As thus far described, the toy is conventional except for the splitaxle.

In order to prevent the portions of the string 43 which are rewoundabout the axle 32 from being haphazardly distributed along the axle andriding out axially over the wheels and onto the ends of the axle wherethey may become entangled and impede the subsequent withdrawal of thestring, a floating guide member 60 is mounted on the axle. The guidemember 60 is somewhat conically shaped and includes an open bottom 62and an open top 64 at its apex.

The guide member 60 also includes converging planar side 66, front 68and back 70 walls so that the actual shape of the guide is roughly thatof a truncated rectangular pyramid. The guide member 60 may be formed ofone piece molded construction, but for ease of mounting preferably isconstructed of two molded shells which are aligned and joined alongabutting edges as will be subsequently described.

The sidewalls 66 at the base of the guide member 60 includes alignedspaced registered openings 72 through which the axle 32 is threaded.With the axle 32 joumaled in openings 72, the guide member 60 will beseated on the axle 32 in floating rotatable engagement therewith.

The actuating string 48 is threaded through the opening 52 in the headof the figurine l4, and thence through the open top 64 of the guidemember 60 and finally through a radial opening 74 in the axle 32 at thecenter thereof. A knot at the inner end of the string anchors thisstring to the axle. It can be observed that with the guide member 60positioned on the axle in this manner (as shown in FIG. 3) theconvolutions 76 of string 48, which are wrapped about the axle will belimited to the space between the openings 72 on the sidewalls 66 of theguide member 60.

It will be observed that since the string 48 is threaded through theopen top 64, the open top 64 serves as an additional guide for centeringthe string as it is recoiled about the axle 32. Because the open top 64which guides the string 48 toward the center of the axle 32 is radiallyspaced from the axle, the string is free to be evenly distributed alongthe axle but within the confines of the sidewalls 66 of the guide 60.

The tapering conical portion of the guide member 60 adjacent the apexextends into the hollow head of the figurine l4 and the figurine 14serves to maintain the guide member in a generally perpendicularrelationship to the axle. This can be best observed in H0. 2.Additionally, the sidewalls of the figurine M- serve to limit thetranslational movement of the guide along the axle. Because the guidemember is freely rotatably floating on the'axle 32, it might slide alongthe axle until it contacts a protuberance 44. This is prevented by theabutting engagement between the guide member 60 and the figurine M. Suchcontact (between the sidewalls 66 of the guide and the protuberances Ml)will have no noticable tendency to produce an increased drag on the axleand reduce the efficiency of the torsional motor in propelling the toyalong a supporting surface.

It should be noted that the openings '72 on the sidewalls of the guidemember are of larger diameter than the axle 32 and under mostcircumstances there is a slight abutting contact between the uppermostsurface of the openings 72 and the top of the axle 32, This is but aminimal contact and does not markedly impede the efficiency of thetorsional motor.

As was previously mentioned, the guide member 60 preferably isconstructed of two matching shell halves 7t and at) which are joinedalong abutting edges. Such two-piece construction is illustrated in FIG.4. The line of junction of the halves diametrically vertically slitseach opening 72 to allow the shell to be assembled around a previouslyinstalled axle in an otherwise completed toy.

It will be observed that the tapered sidewalls 66 of each shell halfincludes locating pins 82 and 84. The pins 82 are formed of one-piececonstruction with the shell half 80 and include a stepped portion whichprojects over the peripheral edge of the half and is designed to overlapthe mating shell half 725. Similar locating pins 84 are formed ofone-piece construction with the shell half 78 and include a steppedportion which overlies the adjacent area of the shell half 80. Thelocating pins facilitate the assembly of the guide member 80 because thestepped portions of the respective locating pins will permit easyalignment of the respective shell halves 78 and 80 with the steppedportions serving as guides and insuring three-point contact along thesloped sides of the abutting edges. The pins additionally preventmovement of the parts relative to one another when they are beingsecured to one another by either heat welding or adhesive.

Among the advantages of the guide member 60 is that it evenlydistributes the rewound string about the axle and prevents the coils ofstring from extending to the ends of the axle. Thus, it greatlyincreases the reliability of the torsion motor. Furthermore, since theguide member is formed of a lightweight plastic, it does not increasethe weight of the toy to thus decrease the efficiency of the torsionalmotor and assures that the string will be properly rewound for maximumefficiency at a minimal increase in manufacturing costs,

Thus it will be seen that there is provided a self-propelled torsionalmotor driven toy which achieves the various objects of the invention andwhich is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the present inventionand as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in theaccompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, I claim as new and desire to besecured by Letters Patent:

l. A self-propelled torsional-motor-driven string-actuated toy, said toycomprising a hollow body, a wheeled driving axle mounted on said body, atorsional energy storing means, said torsional energy storing meansbeing engaged between said axle and said body to bias said axle whenenergy is stored in said means for rotation in a direction forsubsequently driving said toy along a supporting surface, an actuatingstring, means securing one end of said actuating string to said axlewith the opposite end of said actuating string being free and manuallyengageable, said actuating string being wrapped about said axle andbeing extendible through said hollow body by pulling the manuallyengageable free end of the string, the string unwrapping from the axlewhen said manually engageable end is pulled, the torsional energy ofsaid torsional energy storing means being increased when the string isunwound from the axle, the torsional energy storing means dissipatingits increased stored energy and turning the axle to propel the toy alongthe supporting surface when the manually engageable end of the string isreleased, the string rewinding about the axle when the axle drives thetoy, said toy further including a guide member carried by the axle, saidguide member includ ing opposed spaced axle engaging means for captivelyretaining the axle with the guide member being in floating engagementwith the axle and the axle being journaled for rotation relative to theguide member, the axle extending through the axle-engaging means and aportion of the axle being enclosed between axle-engaging means, thestring being threaded through the guide member and the rewound portionsof the string being captively restrained by the axle engaging means sothat the rewound string portions are located along the axle between saidaxle-engaging means.

2. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein the guide memberis conically shaped and includes an opening at its apex, the stringbeing threaded through the said opening.

3. A toy constructed in accordance with claim I wherein the hollow bodyincludes limit means for engaging the guide member to limittranslational movement of the guide member along the axle.

4. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 3 wherein the limit meansincludes an upwardly projecting hollow portion, the guide memberextending into said upwardly projecting portion.

5, A toy constructed in accordance with claim 1, wherein a portion ofthe guide member projects into the toy, the toy including limit meansfor engaging said portion of the guide member to maintain the guidemember in a generally vertical attitude.

6. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 5 wherein the limit meansincludes an upwardly projecting hollow portion, the guide memberextending into said upwardly projecting portion.

7. A toy constructed in accordance with claim I wherein the axle isformed of hollow half cylinder sections, each section including flangesprojecting toward the opposite section, the torsional energy storingmeans is an elastic strip, said elastic strip being threaded through theinterior of the axle, adjacent flanges from opposed sections beingjuxtaposed when the axle is assembled and engaging the elastic strip tothereby secure the strip between its ends to the axle.

8. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 7 wherein two wheels areincluded, each wheel having a central bore, the wheels being mounted onthe ends of the axle with the bores engaging the axle sections andmaintaining the axle sections joined.

9. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 8 wherein the elasticstrip interconnects the axle and the hollow body, said elastic stripsupporting the axle within the body.

10. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 2 wherein the guidemember is formed of two shell halves joined along common abutting edges,each shell halfincluding locating pins unitary therewith, a portion ofeach locating pin projecting beyond the abutting edge of its associatedshell half and overlying the opposite shell half, said locating pinsfacilitating and simplifying assembly.

11. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein the guidemember includes sidewalls, the axle-engaging means comprising openingsin said sidewalls.

12. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 11 wherein the guidemember is formed of two shell halves joined along common abutting edges,the common abutting edges axially bisecting the openings in thesidewalls.

13. A self-propelled torsional-motor-driven toy, said toy comprising ahollow body, a driving axle mounted on said body, a torsional energystoring means, said torsional energy storing means being engaged betweensaid axle and said body to bias said axle when energy is stored in saidmeans for rotation in a direction for subsequently driving said toyalong a supporting surface, an actuating string, means securing one endof said actuating string to said axle with the opposite end of saidactuating string being free and manually engageable, said actuatingstring being wrapped about said axle and being extendible through saidhollow body by pulling the manually engageable free end of the string,the string unwrapping from the axle when said manually engageable end ispulled, the torsional energy of said torsional energy storing meansbeing increased when the string is unwound from the axle, the torsionalenergy storing means dissipating its increased stored energy and turningthe axle to propel the toy along the supporting surface when themanually engageable end of the string is released, the string rewindingabout the axle when the axle drives the toy, the axle being formed ofhalf cylinder sections, the torsional energy storing means being anelastic strip, said elastic strip being threaded through the interior ofthe axle, said half cylinder sections including cooperating means togrip the elastic strip therebetween and between the ends of the axle.

14. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 13 wherein the halfcylinder sections are hollow and the cooperating means grips the elasticstrip adjacent the center of the axle.

1. A self-propelled torsional-motor-driven string-actuated toy, said toycomprising a hollow body, a wheeled driving axle mounted on said body, atorsional energy storing means, said torsional energy storing meansbeing engaged between said axle and said body to bias said axle whenenergy is stored in said means for rotation in a direction forsubsequently driving said toy along a supporting surface, an actuatingstring, means securing one end of said actuating string to said axlewith the opposite end of said actuating string being free and manuallyengageable, said actuating string being wrapped about said axle andbeing extendible through said hollow body by pulling the manuallyengageable free end of the string, the string unwrapping from the axlewhen said manually engageable end is pulled, the torsional energy ofsaid torsional energy storing means being increased when the string isunwound from the axle, the torsional energy storing means dissipatingits increased stored energy and turning the axle to propel the toy alongthe supporting surface when the manually engageable end of the string isreleased, the string rewinding about the axle when the axle drives thetoy, said toy further including a guide member carried by the axle, saidguide member including opposed spaced axle engaging means for captivelyretaining the axle with the guide member being in floating engagementwith the axle and the axle being journaled for rotation relative to theguide member, the axle extending through the axle-engaging means and aportion of the axle being enclosed between axle-engaging means, thestring being threaded through the guide member and the rewound portionsof the string being captively restrained by the axle engaging means sothat the rewound string portions are located along the axle between saidaxle-engaging means.
 2. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 1wherein the guide member is conically shaped and includes an opening atits apex, the string being threaded through the said opening.
 3. A toyconstructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein the hollow body includeslimit means for engaging the guide member to limit translationalmovement of the guide member along the axle.
 4. A toy constructed inaccordance with claim 3 wherein the limit means includes an upwardlyprojecting hollow portion, the guide member extending into said upwardlyprojecting portion.
 5. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 1,wherein a portion of the guide member projects into the toy, the toyincluding limit means for engaging said portion of the guide member tomaintain the guide member in a generally vertical attitude.
 6. A toyconstructed in accordance with claim 5 wherein the limit means includesan upwardly projecting hollow portion, the guide member extending intosaid upwardly projecting portion.
 7. A toy constructed in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the axle is formed of hollow half cylindersections, each section including flanges projecting toward the oppositesection, the torsional energy storing means is an elastic strip, saidelastic strip being threaded through the interior of the axle, adjacentflanges from opposed sections beinG juxtaposed when the axle isassembled and engaging the elastic strip to thereby secure the stripbetween its ends to the axle.
 8. A toy constructed in accordance withclaim 7 wherein two wheels are included, each wheel having a centralbore, the wheels being mounted on the ends of the axle with the boresengaging the axle sections and maintaining the axle sections joined. 9.A toy constructed in accordance with claim 8 wherein the elastic stripinterconnects the axle and the hollow body, said elastic stripsupporting the axle within the body.
 10. A toy constructed in accordancewith claim 2 wherein the guide member is formed of two shell halvesjoined along common abutting edges, each shell half including locatingpins unitary therewith, a portion of each locating pin projecting beyondthe abutting edge of its associated shell half and overlying theopposite shell half, said locating pins facilitating and simplifyingassembly.
 11. A toy constructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein theguide member includes sidewalls, the axle-engaging means comprisingopenings in said sidewalls.
 12. A toy constructed in accordance withclaim 11 wherein the guide member is formed of two shell halves joinedalong common abutting edges, the common abutting edges axially bisectingthe openings in the sidewalls.
 13. A self-propelledtorsional-motor-driven toy, said toy comprising a hollow body, a drivingaxle mounted on said body, a torsional energy storing means, saidtorsional energy storing means being engaged between said axle and saidbody to bias said axle when energy is stored in said means for rotationin a direction for subsequently driving said toy along a supportingsurface, an actuating string, means securing one end of said actuatingstring to said axle with the opposite end of said actuating string beingfree and manually engageable, said actuating string being wrapped aboutsaid axle and being extendible through said hollow body by pulling themanually engageable free end of the string, the string unwrapping fromthe axle when said manually engageable end is pulled, the torsionalenergy of said torsional energy storing means being increased when thestring is unwound from the axle, the torsional energy storing meansdissipating its increased stored energy and turning the axle to propelthe toy along the supporting surface when the manually engageable end ofthe string is released, the string rewinding about the axle when theaxle drives the toy, the axle being formed of half cylinder sections,the torsional energy storing means being an elastic strip, said elasticstrip being threaded through the interior of the axle, said halfcylinder sections including cooperating means to grip the elastic striptherebetween and between the ends of the axle.
 14. A toy constructed inaccordance with claim 13 wherein the half cylinder sections are hollowand the cooperating means grips the elastic strip adjacent the center ofthe axle.